Tait: Edmonton’s Kyle McDonald an inspiration on the football field

EDMONTON - Kyle McDonald loves everything football — he plays touch football, he’s a member of the Edmonton Eskimos’ ‘fun team’ cheer squad and is the assistant equipment manager for the Edmonton Wildcats junior football club.

His involvement makes him part of the team. One of the boys, if you will.

McDonald is also legally blind and has a developmental disability.

This weekend, the 19-year-old has a full schedule ahead of him, with the Eskimos-Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL game at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, and the Wildcats-Calgary Colts Prairie Football Conference game at Clarke Field on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Eskimos are promoting people with developmental disabilities and will donate $10 per ticket sold to the Alberta Association of Communi ty Living, an agency that advocates for families of people with developmental disabilities.

McDonald’s mother, Wendy, director of development for AACL, says funds raised Saturday will go to directly support an individual or family.

His participation in football goes a long way to create positive public awareness for people with disabilities.

Earlier this week, the world was shocked to learn about the anonymous, hateful letter that was sent to an Ontario family with a teenage son who has autism.

Brenda Millson received a letter about her 13-year-old grandson, Max, suggesting they move out of their Newcastle, Ont., neighbourhood because of Max’s behaviour. There were other suggestions which frankly would be an insult to repeat in this space.

We can re-think this issue until we’re blue in the face wondering why such a thing would happen.

But perhaps we can agree with more people like McDonald taking an active role in the community. It sensitizes us all to people with disabilities.

McDonald is currently attending inclusive post secondary studies in the faculty of Physical Education at MacEwan University. He also works part-time at Booster Juice. This summer he held a position as an administrative assistant at MacEwan Residence.

Wendy McDonald says the number of people who have embraced and welcomed her son outnumber those who have not.

“Kyle’s inclusion in football had taught us what is possible in terms of inclusion. There are amazing people in our community who value people with disabilities,” says Wendy.

“Kyle has self-esteem and confidence,” says Wendy. “Because of him being so wonderfully included in football, it has given Kyle confidence in other areas of his life. It is not an understatement to say that football season is the highlight of the year in our house.”

McDonald began his involvement in football when he graduated from elementary school and was invited to an open house for the West Edmonton Raiders football team.

“I remember in junior high we gave Kyle a West Edmonton Raiders ‘leather’ jacket for Christmas,” says Wendy. “I remember watching him wear it into school and recognizing that the other students saw him as a football player — not a boy with a disability.

“It changed not only the way Kyle viewed himself, but the way he was viewed by others.”

He was with the Raiders for three years before being named team manager for the Jasper Place junior Rebels, and then later, the senior J.P. team.

When McDonald was in Grade 9 he had a work experience stint with the Eskimos and helped out at practice once a week. That led him to get on the Eskimos fun team.

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